Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Siân Berry has asked Home Office Ministers to reconsider a decision to suspend visas for students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, including for applicants to the respected Chevening Scholarship scheme, for which the University of Sussex is one of the most prestigious study destinations.
In the six years to 2024, the University of Sussex hosted 119 Chevening scholars from Afghanistan, 58 from Cameroon, 65 from Myanmar and 101 from Sudan. The university is ranked first in the world for Development Studies and so naturally attracts many students from the global south and conflict regions, who want to develop their knowledge and affect positive change in their home countries.
Sian expressed particular worry about the impact of the ban on female students from Afghanistan, who since 2022 have been banned from university education in their own country.
Through her casework, Sian has previously helped a number of Chevening Scholars unblock delays in the Home Office visa system in order for them to take up their studies on time.
Addressing Mike Tapp, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship, Siân said:
“Including prestigious Chevening Scholarships in the Government’s clampdown on certain study visas is devastating for those who had been shortlisted, including students set to join our world-leading programmes at Sussex University.
“It raises questions about the value Government puts on nurturing talent, particularly for women from Afghanistan, from whom I have seen heartbreaking accounts of having their applications terminated.
“So will the Minister and Home Secretary urgently revisit this decision?”
In response, the Minister refused to consider this, and Siân has described this as “an extremely poor response to a very important question.”
ENDS
Notes:
- Watch Siân’s full question from Monday 23 March (play from: 15.14): https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/ea7d577c-45bf-408a-a237-c805da906445